Functional Lipidomics and Metabolism Research

The incidence of cancers at multiple organs is increasing worldwide. It is driven by excess body weight provoked through unhealthy lifestyle, i.e. excess intake of dietary fat in combination with a lack of physical activity. Combining Omics studies with hypothesis-driven research, we aim to improve our knowledge on whole-body lipid metabolism and energy expenditure in physiology and pathobiology. The application of our discoveries intends to develop new diagnostic strategies as well as to prevent and treat disease, especially at the intersection of obesity and intestinal cancer. A necessary prerequisite therefore is to understand the role of gut microbes, the microbiome, for host lipid metabolism. Diet plays a critical part in this, as it influences host physiology, but also provides for the microbiota nutrients that can be metabolized and cross the intestinal epithelium, before entering the circulation and peripheral organs. Also, the storage, metabolism and consumption of dietary fats in various organs, including liver, white and brown adipose tissue, critically influence cancer initiation and tumor growth.

Publications

A list of publications can be found on the website of the National Library of Medicine.